In A Classic 10-Second Span, JR Smith Passed Up A Wide-Open Layup So He Could Drain A Buzzer Beater For The Knicks

The end of the Knicks-Bobcats game in Charlotte last night gave
us a crystal-clear look at the two sides of JR Smith.

In a 10-second span, Smith made a steal, inexplicably aborted a
wide-open fastbreak that would have won them the game, and
drained a 20-foot buzzer beater for the 100-98 win.

The craziness started with 12 seconds left. The Bobcats had the
ball with the game tied 98-98, and just had to hold the ball on
the perimeter until they could take the last shot.

But when Michael Kidd-Gilchrist threw a telegraphed pass back to
the top of the key, Smith smartly jumped the pass for the steal
with 10 seconds left.

The Knicks streaked down the court on a 2-for-1 fastbreak as the
clock ticked down to zero. All Smith had to do was run straight
to the hoop, receive a pass from Raymond Felton, and lay it in to
take the lead.

But for some inexplicable reason that's only known to JR, he
instead curled harmlessly out to the three-point line, killing
the fastbreak and calling a timeout with three seconds left.
Here's the sequence: (just watch the first 10 seconds):

So what play do you draw up after JR Smith passes up a wide-open,
game-winning layup on a 2-on-1 fastbreak?

A JR Smith isolation, obviously.

Smith got the ball at the top of the key, dribbled hard to his
left, and fired up his signature step back jumper with a defender
hanging all over him. It swished through the hoop as time
expired, thus concluding the most concise, complete JR Smith
Experience in recent memory.